Satisfactory Academic Progress

In compliance with federal student financial aid regulations, the academic performance of students enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh will be reviewed annually to determine whether or not they are making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). This review will occur during the month following the end of the spring term each year. All students who might be eligible to apply for federal financial aid will be reviewed and evaluated. This requirement applies to all continuing graduate and undergraduate degree seeking University of Pittsburgh students. Components of the SAP requirement include a measure of cumulative GPA, Total Attempted Credits and Pace of Completion.

GPA Requirement
Undergraduate students must achieve a 1.50 minimum cumulative GPA if they have earned up to 30 credits to be considered to be meeting SAP standards. Undergraduate students must achieve a 2.00 cumulative GPA if they have earned more than 30 credits to be considered to be meeting SAP standards. Transfer credits will not be considered in the calculation of cumulative GPA.

Attempted Credits/Program Length
Credits attempted by a student cannot exceed 150% of the credits required as defined by the University's published length of the specific program. All courses with a passing or failing grade will be counted as credits attempted. All courses with a grade designated as G, I or W will be counted as credits attempted. Credits on all repeated courses will be counted as credits attempted. Transfer credits from another school will be counted both in terms of hours attempted and hours completed in SAP evaluation.

Pace of Completion
Pace of completion will be based on cumulative credits attempted and cumulative credits completed. The pace of completion will be measured annually at the end of the evaluation period. Cumulative student course completion rate cannot be less than 67%. All courses with a passing or failing grade will be counted as credits attempted. All courses with a grade designated as G, I or W will be counted as credits attempted. Credits on all repeated courses will be counted as credits attempted. Transfer credits from another school will be counted both in terms of hours attempted and hours completed in SAP evaluation.

Satisfactory Academic Progress
All students who meet the GPA, pace of completion and maximum program length requirements will be assigned a Satisfactory Academic Progress indicator for the upcoming school year. The Financial Aid Office will assign a No Progress status to students who do not meet these standards. Students are not eligible for Title IV financial aid and other financial aid sources if their SAP status is equal to No Progress.

Appeal Process
The University of Pittsburgh provides an appeal process for students who are determined to be not meeting progress. Appeals will be limited to students who experienced personal illness or personal accident, death of a member of the student's immediate family or other extraordinary circumstances that prevented the student from attending classes and successfully completing the coursework. Requests for appeal of a not meeting progress status must be initiated in the Financial Aid Office and be supported by appropriate documentation.

After review by the Financial Aid Appeal’s Committee, if an appeal is reviewed favorably, the student will regain financial aid eligibility for one payment period, provided that the student clearly demonstrates that he or she will be able to meet SAP standards at the end of the next payment period. In cases where an appeal is reviewed favorably, but it is not possible for the student to meet the minimum requirements in one term, the student may choose to agree to the terms and conditions of a defined academic plan, which is designed to provide a pathway to regaining academic progress. Under an academic plan, the student regains federal Title IV eligibility on a term-by-term basis. The Financial Aid Office will review student records at the end of each term to determine if the terms and conditions of the plan are being met. An academic plan will remain valid, on a term-by-term basis, unless the student fails to meet the terms and conditions of the plan or regains eligibility under the established standards. Failure to meet the terms and conditions of the approved academic plan during a semester will result in the loss of future federal Title IV financial aid. Students must complete six credits towards their major and pay their bill without the use of Federal student aid before subsequent academic progress appeals will be accepted.

Satisfactory Academic Progress PHEAA State Grant Program

In addition to the general Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines, undergraduate students receiving a PHEAA State Grant are subject to a separate satisfactory academic progress review. Full-time students are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits for each full-time PHEAA grant received or a minimum of 6 credits for each part-time PHEAA grant received in the most recent completed academic year.